If you have a license from your home country, you do NOT have to get a New York State driver license.

You can drive in New York State using your country’s license (the rules may be different in other states!)

CIP recommends:

Always carry your passport while driving. A foreign driver license is not a valid form of identification in the United States.

We recommend obtaining an International Driving Permit (IDP) from the issuing authority in your country, especially if your license is not in English. Be careful, there are many online scams offering “international licenses,” so please make sure to obtain an official IDP. You MUST carry your foreign driver’s license with you in order for your IDP to be valid.

If you are to stay in the US for over a year, we highly recommend that you obtain a New York State Driver License.

If you have a driver license from another US state or Canadian province, you must exchange it for a New York State Driver License within ten days of registering your address with SUNY New Paltz. Drivers who have Canadian citizenship or permanent residence need not exchange their license.

How can I apply for a New York State driver’s license?

Go to the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles and hand in the paperwork:

Go to the Social Security office and apply for a Social Security number

The SS office will give you a letter of non-eligibility

Take that letter, form MV-44, and other forms of identification (six points of ID in total) to the Department of Motor Vehicles to apply for a driver’s license

I want to apply for a State ID card

You can apply for a non-driver photo ID card at the Department of Motor vehicles. The process is almost the same as applying for a driver’s license. You can use this card as a good form of identification in the US. You cannot use this card to drive a vehicle (http://dmv.ny.gov/id-card/bget-non-driver-id-card-ndid)

PLEASE NOTE: IF YOU ARE A NEW STUDENT, WE CANNOT ISSUE A DMV LETTER UNTIL YOU HAVE BEEN IN THE US AT LEAST 10 DAYS. ONCE YOU RECEIVE A LETTER FROM US, WAIT A FEW DAYS BEFORE GOING TO THE DMV OFFICE.

Social Security Administration

The Social Security Administration Office is located in Poughkeepsie, NY. If you do not have access to a car, you may choose to take the bus to Poughkeepsie. Office hours are between 9:00 AM and 4:00 PM Monday through Friday except legal holidays. If you have any questions, you may contact the Social Security Office directly.